postaweek

The world population is estimated to swell and hit 11bn in 2100 with 70% chance of continuous rise. This is according to a research conducted by an international team including UN experts. This poses grave challenges to economic, health and social cohesion. Tonight I’d like to focus on 3 specific concerns – food crisis, crowded transportation and aging population.

Population growth is not the only factor that contributes to the food supply crisis but it is the most discussed demographic dimension because of its very direct impact on the growth in food demand. As the world population grows, great pressure is being placed on fertile land, water, energy and biological resources to provide adequate supply of food. Even if these resources are never depleted it will decline significantly because it must be divided among more people. Water resources are under great stress as populous countries require and withdraw more water from rivers and lakes. In Africa fertility rates have increased from 5.99 to 6.17 since 1960. This means 6 to 7 children per mother over her lifetime. Experts believe that a strong political commitment to contraception can sharply slow this population growth.

Growth in population naturally causes growth in car ownership but increase in public transport system seldom go along with population increase and this is certainly the case in the Philippines. There is rapid urban growth that has dispersed the population causing transport problems in Manila. People move in to the city in search for better paying jobs and work opportunities. Manila accounts for approx 18% of the country’s population and 28% of its motor vehicles on barely .2% of the country’s land area. EDSA highway that connects the north and south of the metropolitan area runs 24 km. On most of its lengths, EDSA is a controlled access highway, 3-5 lanes wide on each direction. According to MMDA data as of May 2009, there are 316,345 vehicles per day traveling through EDSA of which 12, 689 are buses. Bus over supply ironically contradicts its usefulness forcing commuters to use their own cars that only worsens traffic congestion. To de-congest the road, a Unified Vehicular Reduction Program was implemented in 2003 more popularly known as the number coding.

Based on Canada population clock as of August 30th this year, Canada’s population is at 34,652,978. Canada is facing unprecedented demographic change particularly in the area of aging population. According to statistics, the number of people aged 65 or more could double in the next 20 years. The reason for this is 2-fold: there has been a drop in birth rate and life expectancy climbed from 68 to 78. Over the next 50 years the increasing proportion of seniors will have a tremendous impact on Canada’s economic growth. This poses challenges on aging workforce, labor shortage, increase competition for skilled workers and higher public health care spending. There will be relatively more people claiming pension benefits and less people working and paying income taxes. A few of the evident solutions on this issue is the increase in participation rate – making it easier for people over the age of 65 to keep working. Another way is raising the retirement age. The Government of Canada in its 2012 Budget announced that beginning April 2023, the age of eligibility for Old Age Security pension will increase from 65 to 67. Immigration is also a way to defuse the impact of an aging population because immigration is often from younger people.

Food crisis, crowded transportation and aging population – 3 out of the many challenges that the world is now faced with. What is the government doing? How do we combat these challenges? Essentially, solutions are simple but execution is almost always where we hit a snag. We need to empower women and families to plan how many children they want. Education and job opportunities especially for women would be a huge contribution. Increase awareness of environmental and social costs of population growth. These are certainly not solutions that one man can accomplish alone and definitely will not resolve the issue overnight, but it is a start and we can do something to help. It may be a tiny step, but remember, you, me, we can do something.

***
I wrote this speech for the 7th speech of the Competent Communications manual. The objectives of her speech are:

• Collect information about the topic
• Carefully support the points and opinions with specific facts, examples and illustrations gathered through research

Some of them I lost entirely but most of them, I won; after years of trying and a lot of time consoling myself for the failures along the way.

Success is much sweeter when you’ve worked so hard for it and reminiscing over the multiple downs and upset days you’ve gone through. I’m not saying one should fail multiple times first and succeed after so many tries.

All I’m saying is that, it is a sweeter revenge when you’ve accomplished something even if the world sort of told you that you can’t.

My hubby have been trying to pass the road test to get a driver’s license for about a year now. He can only try every after a couple of weeks after the last one but it took him a year because he got so frustrated he didn’t want to try again right away.

And so with much urging and incessant convincing, he recently actively booked road tests after road tests. I may not know exactly how he feels at every failure but I certainly know the feeling of being a disappointment.

Just this week, we went for another one which I almost cancelled on because I had “better” things to do that day.

My stomach was full of flying butterflies as he pulled out of the parking lot with yet another examiner. And the butterflies grew even worse when I saw the car pulled back. Exam is over.

I waited in the room, looking at a distance at the car while the instructor and my hubby was intently discussing how the exam went. I wasn’t sure what to do.

I have exhausted all the inspiring and consoling words to say. What should I say this time?

The most awaited moment happened. He passed!

I was filled with so much enthusiasm. I was even more ecstatic that him. I think he grew numb to the feeling of failing time and again.

Ultimately, there is no one or nothing that can stop you from achieving anything that you want. It takes a lot of courage to face the possibilities of disappointment but the probability of actually succeeding should exceed that.

We should not stop trying. We should always strive for victory. We shall have it. As I always tell myself, I will not be discouraged, I will be avenged.

I walked along a familiar aisle towards a desk at the south end of the second floor. It was a year ago since I was there last.

Part of me is excited to be back but a bigger part of me is a little lonely. I was happy a year ago before I went on maternity leave. I was part of a great team, fun trio, reliable colleagues and almost friends.

As I come closer to my desk, it hit me that my go-to guy has left and found a greener Pasteur; my turn-to gal has left to enjoy the coming of her newborn.

Change is here.

I sat on my desk and fired up my computer. It’s all starting to come back to me. I spent the day going through my thousand emails that are now completely irrelevant. I worked on getting all my access back and organizing my stuff.

I posted back the photo of me and my husband where I used to pin it. I have an addition this time. My son’s best photo yet.

Change is here.

A couple days later, my senior and I had a refresher meeting for the changes that have happened with the accounts that I used to do and how things are going to be done moving forward. After seeing all the spreadsheets and going over the folders in my computer, I felt home. I felt I’m back where I used to be.

The same afternoon of the refresher, I was called into a meeting with a few others from a different department. I knew something is up.

Management has decided to move me to a different department so now I’m going to do a different account that is totally different from what I’ve been doing for the last couple years.

Change is here.

It’s been a week now and things are still all new to me. It would’ve been nice to go back to what I’m used to do but I realized change is good. You just have to take it in, embrace it and give it a shot. It’s not that bad.

Change offers new learning, growth, excitement and it piques your brain after being static for being too familiar with something. I like where I am now. I do miss all the people I used to work with that are now gone and I’m still getting to know my new team. I can’t help but compare but in truth, it is what it is.

Change is here and it’s either we adapt to it or be stubborn and stuck. I choose to move forward.

We want all sorts of things in life – successful career, happy family, fit body to name a few. We also have so much goals – friendship goals, relationship goals, health goals and so much more. There are lots of information online that we can access that will provide us with specific tips on very specific goals and wants that we want to pursue but realistically there are only 2.

How do you achieve your life’s goals and wants? I’d like to share that on today’s two things Tuesday.

1> Want it

When I was pregnant with my boy, one time I bought a huge bag of hash browns because I saw it on TV and I told myself I want that. The next day, I ended up giving it away coz I don’t want it anymore.

Even after pregnancy, I have a tendency to want something today and realized I don’t really have any desire for it.

One of the many reasons for not achieving your life’s goals and wants is – not wanting something hard enough. We are easily thrown by little struggles and issues along the way. It is vital that we are certain and determined when we want to achieve something.

I wanted to be a CPA and so even if I failed some subjects and got kicked out of school, had to start over, had to stomach staring eyes, had to live with guilt for failing my parents, had to take the licensure exam twice. I made it! Because I want it.

In fact I want it so much, I took another CPA license when I moved in Canada. Now I am proud to be a CPA not once but twice.

2>Do it

Wanting to learn how to bike but not practicing at all is tantamount to nothing. Achieving your goals does not end in wanting it. The hard part towards that goal is actually working on it.

It may be difficult to know where to start of how to begin the journey but if you are determined, nothing is going to stop you; not distance, time, age or money. You just have to take the first step and then everything else will follow.

I wanted a better life for me, my family and my own family-to-be and I’ve decided that I need to move to a different country to achieve that. It is a hard decision as it requires leaving my loved ones, my friends, going out of my comfort zone and starting over from scratch.

I stalled the application for some time because I thought I needed more time to be emotionally prepared. Also, there’s always something great that’s happening to me that makes me think it might not be the best decision.

Until one day, I’ve decided to just jump on the wagon and do it! That was about 4 years ago and soon I will be eligible for citizenship. Goal achieved!

It will take courage, emotional preparedness and will to achieve anything. With the combination of wanting it then doing it plus all the help you can get from friends, family and online – failure will soon be a thing of the past.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you it’s been a busy week altogether and I bet you had a busy one too.

**

I recently got back to work and I’ve been dealing with coping up to so many changes. I was away for about a year and it was naive and a bit stupid for me to think that I’d be going back to the same things.

For the most part, yes, I still hold the same position and I’m still part of the same department. I still sit on the same boring, neatly arranged table and my old files for storage still sit under my desk.

A week after coming back, management decided to move me to a new team and gave me a new account that is totally different than what I’ve been doing which happened right after the refresher meeting I had with my old senior. Hah!

**

I got married in 2015 but a part of me didn’t want to let go of my family name. For one, I don’t particularly like my husband’s last name. I felt it didn’t fit me yet. That has nothing to do with love at all, purely aesthetic.

Now, I’ve decided to change my name to take my husband’s last name. Whew! This is it! It’s funny though because when I went to have my driver’s license updated, the agent asked me to sign electronically to complete my application and it hit me! I haven’t really thought about that yet.

Overall, I’ve got the important ones done but I still got a long list – banks, phone company, membership organizations, insurances, etc.

-> Change is the only thing constant in the world and we need to take it, embrace it and live with it. I remind myself that I need to look at the good sides of change for growth to be more effective and fruitful. We love the old but it’s time for the new!